PEOPLE, THIS WOMAN, WAY UP ON THE TOP OF THE LIST.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> Reporter: WHEN YOU LOOK AT
OLD PHOTOS FROM THE APOLLO
PROGRAM, YOU SEE A LOT OF MEN.
CHECK OUT THIS SHOT.
WITHOUT A YOUNG WOMAN NAMED
MARGARET HAMILTON, THE LUNAR
LANDING, WALKING ON THE MOON, IT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT
STORY.
STORY. >> THAT’S SOURCE CODE FOR THE
APOLLO GUIDANCE COMPUTER.
>> Reporter: A 5 FOOT PILE OF
COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONS THAT SENT
THE CREW OF APOLLO 11 TO THE
MOON, AND GOT THEM BACK.
LOOK AT THAT.
>> WE WERE HAVING A GOOD TIME.
THEY WERE WORRIED IT WAS GOING
TO FALL ON ME, BUT I LIKED THE
IDEA OF STACKING THEM UP.
>> Reporter: WRITTEN BY HAMILTON
AND A TEAM OF SOFTWARE
PROGRAMMERS AT MIT’S
INSTRUMENTATION LAB, DEVELOPED
WHEN MANY THOUGHT SOFTWARE WAS
AN UNDERGARMENT, A PUZZLE, IT
SEEMS, EVEN TO ASTRONAUTS, LIKE
MIKE COLLINS.
MIKE COLLINS. HAD YOU EVER HEARD THE WORD
"SOFTWARE" BEFORE?
"SOFTWARE" BEFORE? >> I DON’T THINK SO.
MIT WAS A MYSTERY TO A LARGE
EXTENT.
EXTENT. >> Reporter: HAMILTON’S HUSBAND
WAS STUDYING LAW AT HARVARD.
SHE WAS A MOM WITH A MATH
DEGREE, WHO BOLDLY PURSUED A JOB
AT MIT.
AT MIT. AT THE TIME, ALMOST UNHEARD OF.
WERE PEOPLE JUDGMENTAL ABOUT YOU
AND YOUR LIFE?
>> IT WAS THE CULTURE.
ONE OF THE MEN WALKED UP AND
ASKED ME, HOW COULD I LEAVE MY
CHILD AT HOME?
THAT’S WHEN I SAID TO HIM, YOU
DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU, AND
I’LL DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR ME.
>> Reporter: HER CODE WOULD BE
HOUSED IN A COMPUTER ASTONISH
ASTONISHINGLY SMALL.
ASTONISHINGLY SMALL. THIS IS THE ACTUAL
COMPUTER?
COMPUTER? >> IT IS A SHOE BOX, WEDDING
CAKE TYPE THING, BACK HERE.
>> Reporter: AT AN ERA WHEN
COMPUTERS TOOK UP ENTIRE
BASEMENTS, APOLLO 11’S COULD BE
ONLY A FOOT.
IT’D BE THE FIRST TO GUIDE A
HUMAN ANYWHERE, THIS TO THE
MOON.
MOON. >> IT’D BE A FRACTION OF YOUR
PHONE’S PROCESSING POWER.
>> Reporter: HAMILTON OFTEN
BROUGHT HER DAUGHTER, LAUREN, TO
WORK, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT OR ON
WEEKENDS.
WEEKENDS. IT WAS DURING ONE SUCH VISIT
THAT LAUREN WAS PLAYING
ASTRONAUT ON THE APOLLO
SIMULATOR, FLYING TO THE MOON,
WHEN --
WHEN -- >> ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT CAME
CRASHING DOWN, HER SIMULATION.
>> Reporter: THE SYSTEM CRASHED.
>> I THOUGHT, WHATEVER SHE’S
DONE, THAT CAN’T HAPPEN ON A
FLIGHT.
FLIGHT. THAT WOULD NOT BE GOOD.
IT WAS PROGRAM ONE, WHICH IS A
PRE-LAUNCH PROGRAM.
PRE-LAUNCH PROGRAM. >> Reporter: SHE’S OUT IN OUTER
SPACE AND HIT THE KEYS FOR
PRE-LAUNCH.
PRE-LAUNCH. >> IT CLOBBERED EVERYTHING.
>> Reporter: HAMILTON TRIED TO
WARN NASA BUT --
>> THEY SAID, YEAH, BUT THE
ASTRONAUTS ARE SO WELL TRAINED,
IT WON’T HAPPEN.
IT JUST WON’T HAPPEN.
>> Reporter: SURE ENOUGH, WHILE
IN SPACE, ON APOLLO 8, ASTRONAUT
JIM LOVELL ACCIDENTALLY PUNCHED
IN THE SAME CODE.
>> FOR SOME REASON, THERE IS NO
ALTITUDE LIGHT ON THE COMPUTER.
>> Reporter: IT TOOK HOURS TO
GET THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM BACK
ON TRACK.
ON TRACK. HAMILTON AND THE TEAM AT MIT
KNEW THE ASTRONAUTS WERE RISKING
THEIR LIVES ON THE SOFTWARE THEY
WROTE.
WROTE. >> AT THE TIME, A MAN’S LIFE WAS
AT STAKE.
AT STAKE. THE SOFTWARE HAD TO WORK THE
FIRST TIME.
FIRST TIME. THERE WAS NO SECOND CHANCE.
IT ALSO HAD TO BE ABLE TO DETECT
ERRORS IN REAL TIME AND RECOVER
FROM THEM.
FROM THEM. >> Reporter: HAMILTON’S SOFTWARE
WAS PUT TO THE TEST IN JUST THAT
WAY ON APOLLO 11.
NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN
FOR DESCENDING TO THE MOON’S
SURFACE WHEN --
>> PROGRAM ALARM.
>> THEY SEE AN ALARM, AND BUZZ
ALDRIN CALLS IT OUT.
>> I REMEMBER THINKING, IF IT IS
GOING TO GO OFF, DOES IT HAVE TO
GO OFF NOW, OF ALL TIMES?
>> Reporter: THE ALARM WENT OFF
BECAUSE NON-CRITICAL DATA WAS
SUDDENLY OVERLOADING THE
COMPUTER.
COMPUTER. >> NOW, THANKS TO PEOPLE LIKE
MARGARET HAMILTON, THE COMPUTER
REALIZED, I’LL DROP MY LOW
PRIORITY STUFF AND KEEP THE
IMPORTANT STUFF GOING.
I’LL SOLDIER ON.
THE WHOLE SYSTEM RECOVERED FROM
THAT ANOMALY, AND ARMSTRONG
LANDED ON THE MOON.
>> THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.
>> Reporter: NEIL ARMSTRONG
STEPS OUT OF THE MODULE, STEPS A
FOOT ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.
WHAT WERE YOU FEELING AT THAT
EXACT MOMENT?
EXACT MOMENT? >> NOT ONLY WAS IT THAT THE
ASTRONAUTS WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE
ON THE MOON.
>> THAT’S ONE SMALL STEP FOR
MAN.
MAN. >> BUT IT WAS LIKE OUR SOFTWARE
WAS THE FIRST SOFTWARE TO RUN ON
THE MOON.
THE MOON. >> ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.
>> I JUST FELT FORTUNATE.
>> AMAZING WOMAN.
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE
CONTEXT OF THIS TIME, RIGHT IN
HER HUSBAND IS AT HARVARD LAW
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. DURING THAT ERA, IT WAS ALMOST
AN EXPECTATION THAT IF YOU HAD A
SPOUSE WITH YOU IN CAMBRIDGE,
SHE WAS THERE TO SERVE TEA.
SHE WAS THERE TO AIDE YOU IN
YOUR ONGOING LIFE.
>> IF YOU HAD KIDS, SOMEBODY
SAYING, WHY AREN’T YOU HOME WITH
YOUR CHILD?
YOUR CHILD? >> A MOM WITH A MATH DEGREE.
BUT SHE SAID THE ATMOSPHERE AT
MIT WAS VERY COLLEGIAL, AND THEY
ALL HAD THIS IDEA THAT THEY WERE
ACTUALLY PIONEERS.
ACTUALLY PIONEERS. THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING NO ONE
HAD DONE BEFORE.
THE COMPUTERS FILLED THE
BASEMENT, THE BUILDINGS BACK
THEN.
THEN. THESE WERE THE FIRST MOBILE
COMPUTERS EVER DESIGNED.
>> YOU BROUGHT SHOW AND TELL.
>> YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE THIS.
RIGHT?
RIGHT? SO PEOPLE IN HISTORY GET TO BE
HONORED SOMETIMES IN SOME OF THE
MOST AMAZING WAYS.
IF YOU LOOK VERY CLOSELY, LEGO
RAN ONE OF THOSE SORT OF, HEY,
TELL US WHO WE SHOULD PAY
ATTENTION TO WITH APOLLO COMING
UP.
UP. THERE’S MARGARET.
THERE’S MARGARET. >> WOW!
>> WOW! >> THAT’S AWESOME.
>> OVERDUE, RIGHT?
>> WHAT’S SHE DOING NOW?
>> SHE HAS HER OWN BUSINESS.
LISTEN, SHE WENT --
>> RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.
>> SHE WENT TO WORK IN
CAMBRIDGE.
CAMBRIDGE. SHE STARTED WORKING FIRST IN
METEOROLOGICAL STUFF, THEN ON
SOME DEFENSE STUFF.
SHE WAS IN THIS INFANCY OF THIS
INDUSTRY.
INDUSTRY. HEARD ABOUT THE JOB OPENING AT
MIT AND NASA.
THEY MADE HER THE HEAD OF THAT
PROGRAM.
PROGRAM. >> WELL DESERVED.
>> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT THE
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY THAT PUT MAN
ON THE MOON.
>> DING, DING, DING, DING.
THIS CELL PHONE, THE ONE I HOLD
IN MY HAND, 1 MILLION TIMES MORE
POWERFUL THAN THE COMPUTERS, THE
ONE ON THE MODULE, THE LANDING
MODULE, AND THE COMMAND COD MULE
A MILLION TIMES MORE POWERFUL.
>> INCREDIBLE.
>> INCREDIBLE. WE’RE GOING TO REALLY SOAK IN
THIS ANNIVERSARY THE NEXT FEW
DAYS.
DAYS. I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT MORE
STORIES TO TELL, HARRY,
INCLUDING A LOOK AT THE SUIT
THAT HELPED NEIL ARMSTRONG TAKE
THOSE FIRST STEPS.
AL IS GOING TO BE LIVE AT
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER NEXT
TUESDAY FOR THE OFFICIAL
ANNIVERSARY.
ANNIVERSARY. >> OH, THAT’S GOING TO BE GOOD.
>> LAUNCH DAY.
ONE OF OUR PROUDEST MOMENTS.
>> YOU’LL BE GEEKING OUT DOWN IN
FLORIDA, FOR SURE.
>> OH, YES.